Turbine-driven car and locomotive



W. LEATHERS TURBINE DRIVEN CAR AND LOCOMOTIVE April 21, 1925.

Filed Sept. 2, 1920 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I VHA 1 April 21,1925. 1 1,534,215 V w, .tEATHERs TURBINE DRIVEN CAR AND LOCOMOTIVE Filed Sept. 2, 19 20 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2]., i925. 1,534,275

w. LEATHERS TURBINE DRIVEN CAR AND LOCOMQTIVE Filed Sept. 2, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IIIIIII-VIII fj Patented A r. 21 1925 w en nnnrnnns, ornuwonrn NEW JERSEY.

Toall whomitfmay-concern: y p Be itknownthatl, WARD LnATHERs a citizenofthe United States, residing at. Ha f Worth; in thecounty of Bergen and State of. New Jersey, have invented. new and-iuseful Improvements in Turbine-DrivenCars and h 3 Locomotives, of Which the following is a specification. n g i Theobject of my invention is to provide a rz suitable, application of a highspeed lightit weight prime-moverto thetruck of a car or locomotive especially where designed for :use on rails. My invention is applicable also to i road vehiclesq w a i 5 The present day locomotive with the ex- \pception of some electric locomotives is pro- ;j:videdjwith side connecting rods between -Qdrivers,which; owingto their: intermittent application of powerand theirpounding op eration are mechanicallyinsufficient andde-f jstructiver One of the objects of my haven-1 tioniiis to climinatethese side connecting 1 bars. 7 n a n Another objectis Ito providesuch speed reduction that the driversmaybe of small flenough diameter to folloiv the rails safely Without the guide truck asnow used Where.

jfperience having shown that large driving wheels tend to climb the; rails when not guided. A further object isto get all the Weight of boiler engine and supplies of fuel and Wateronthe driving Wheels soas to ttractive effort. 4 a A further and important objectof "my invention is to produce a light, inexpensive,

I andcompact self driven truckfor use under i .l passenger andwfreight carslzthemotivefluid i fi h for which may: be furnished, steam \boiler or generatorllocated on eachlcar or on onlysome of the cars, oron 21; special car l fthe purpose of which would be to carry the generator, its auxiliaries, the fuel. and water, {andquarters for theffireman. The engineer may drivefromeither endof the generator. car or he may drivefromeither end of any car,a practicenow common with all motor: driven electric trains. 1 Naturally at least one 11 flFgeneratoif 1 car? would" he required each R locomotive drivers are oflarge diameter, ex

it have noparasite load on Wheels exertingfno fknown pneumatic or electric control.

' 1 shorter trains such as used for suburban passenger service a single stea'mthrottle .could be provided'ateachendof every car,

TURBINE-DRIVEN (max m) Locoiviomvn,

1 Application filed September- 2,1920.Seria1Nfor407fi98. l

train but its location in the train could be immaterial. With unusually long trains such as tremendously long freight trains more than one generator car might be used, preferably distributed through the train. Although the steam generators described in my numerous patent applications tle attention beyond providing fuel to the bunkers, such as fuel oil or pulverized coal,

and Water, it would be preferable in some casesto have the steam generator ofsufiicientsize to furnish. motive fluid to an entire train located on a special car where a trained firemancould observe its operation. Such special fgenerator car would preferably be .could be sufficiently automaticflto require litself-driven to the sameextent as the other cars in the train. Such special generator car may insome cases have a portion of its enclosed space used forbaggage or -mail or passengera Such generator cartwould be used for the production of motive fluid maintained pressure to atrain line in which there would be a throttle or throttles under to all thejother throttles on the train by Well On anyone of which could be manually operpreferred, small, high;speed, high-pressure which it Would-furnish at ai -automatically car or truck or prime-mover and thethrottle -Would be opened'or closed proportionatelyu 1 ated by the: engineer for turning steam into every. pr me-mover used for propulsion on the train. Such prlmeanovers could'be, 1f

reciprocators properly connected to serve the n v purpose of the turbines illustrated. i n

In thefollowing specification I describe my invei'ition and. to .make the text more;

clear, lhave. appendedidrawings inwhich" similar numbers;characterize:similar things. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic. plan VlQWflfa.

Lil

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of a two-wheel truck.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of another form of truck with six wheels.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side view of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a modification of Fig.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic side view of a turbine drive unit for a self propelled car.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic end view of big. 7.

Fig. 9 is a diagram of a turbine drive witl'i speed reduction first through a spur reduction gearing and second through a worm re duction gearing.

Fig. 10 is a view of Fig. angle.

Fig. 11 is a diagram of another form of a turbine drive with speed reduction first through a worm reduction gearing and second through a spur reduction gearing.

Fig. 12 is a view of Fig. 11 tal en at a right angle.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is any prime-mover. I may be an electric motor or a gas or gas-steam turbine, but, preferably, a steam turbine of suitable type for automotive use. It may be a plain disc viscosity turbine, or a corrugated disc turbine as illustrated in my patent application Serial Number 395,- 222.

2 is'a worm and worm-gear which gives the speed of the turbine rotor its first reduction. The turbines 1, 1 may or may not he on the same shaft. If desired a separate turbine may drive each pair of drive wheels shown at 8, 4, 5 or one turbine may drive all the drivers on the truck, or even on both tracks if desired.

Power from the turbines 1, 1 is transmitted to the drive wheel axle through the worm reduction gear 2, the flexible connection 6, the telescopic connect-ion 7, the flexible connection 8, and the worm reduction gear 9', the gear of which is integral with the axle, which is rigidly joined to the wheels.

The turbines as shown in Fig. 1 may obviously be placed. in the center of the car or locomotive as well as at the side, in which case the worm-reduction-gearing may be placed off center. The gear 2 may also be omitted and replaced by a turbine placed with its shaft vertical in which case turbines 1 are changed from the position shown with horizontal shafts to a position with vertical shafts, the turbine shafts being substituted for the vertical shafts of the worm gears in worm gearing 2, 2.

The telescopic connection '7 may be a longitudinally splined joint, and the splines or longitudinal serrations may be provided with balls or rollers if desired. This pertaken at a right mits of the up and down movement of the wheels and axles, or of the truck frame.

The worm-gearing 9 is housed in a housing 10, integral with which is a torsion member 11, on the top of which is a guide 12. This guide may be of any suitable construction which permits of vertical movement and no fore and aft movement. It may be round or flat, but if fiat, as shown, it may also be )ermitted a slight sidewise movement which is distinctly useful owing to a slight sideplay of the wheels. The guide 1" is held in guide members not shown rigidly connected to the spring supported frame of the truck. Such frame is common to all car trucks. This frame also carries the turbines 1 and the worm-gears 2.

In Fig. 3, 13 represents the truck frame which carries the turbine or turbines and the worm-gears 2, one for each axle. The torsion members are here shown at 1 isupported from axle to axle. This is a very desirable arrangement on four-wheel trucks for car use but I prefer the arrangement shown in 2 for heavy locomotive use. The torsion members 1% need only maintain a straight line between the axles; movement in all directions which does not change the straight line may be permitted. Fl. ible joints such as shown at 15 may be used between the turbines and the worm-reduction gears if desired.

In Figs. 1 and 5 T have shown the power transmitted from the turbines 1 to the wheel axles through two worm-renuctions as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but with the shaft of worm wheel 2 used horizontally. The power is transmitted through. a worm-reduction 2. a universal or flexible joint 16, a telescoping joint 17, a worm-shaft 18 and a worm-gear 19 to the axle. Power is further tra smitted from the worm-shaft 18 to the ne... axle through the universal. or flexible joint 21, the telescoping joint 22. the connecting shaft 23, the universal or flexible joint the worm-shaft 18 and the worm-gear 2,). In a six-wheel truck the power may be fur ther transmitted to the next axle in similar manner.

Housing surrounding the worm-gear together with the turbine. or turbines. 1. is carried on the spririg-supported truck frame. Housings 26 for the worm-g ars 19 are supported on the axles but pro with torsion members 27 for the purpose o reventing the housings from rotating with the axles. These members 27 are int al with or integrally connected to. the ho...v 26 on one end and are hinged or swivelled at the other end as shown at 28.

Fig. 6 is the same as 5 except that the worm-gear 2 is changed to a gear-reduction consisting of suitably constructed gears 29, preferably of herring-bone construction. A turbine or turbines, drives one 'led drive wheels in manner similar to the worm; gear in Fig. 5. V I v t In Figs. 7 and 8, 1 is a turbine the power of which is transmitted through the flexible connections and 31, the shaft 32, the

worm-gear reduction 2, the shaft 33, and the worm-gear reduction 34:,to the axle 20. The turbine is shown mounted on yieldable means of support. Such means may be chanical such as springs. is a reversing lever which turns the motive fluid from one jet' to theother as illustrated in my patent applicationon corrugated disc turbines referred to. The reverse lever is operated by' the engineer by suitable means, local or remote, mechanical, electrical, pneumatic or otherwise. Motive fluid is admitted at 36, exhaust is at 37. The valve 38,when;closed,

willlshuntpreferably part of the exhaust gases into the pipe 39 which communicates reducingthe speed of the turbine asithe upower is transmitted from it to the axle.

a spur-andgear-reduction and a, wormspur-and-gear-reduction. It is also possible to use two spunand-gear-reductions, or to use but one reduction, worm or gear, or to i add a worm orfa gear reduction to any of the foregoing or illustrated gear trains. In Fig. 11 I have two turbines or two separated turbine stages which may be used if desired. It is evident that where the prime-mover is carried onthe axlesuch as illustrated inFigs, 7 to 12 practically the ventire assembly except thetorsionmember may be turned about the axle any number of degrees desired and there located for its normal running posit-ion.

Having fully set forth my invent-10min form understandable to those familiar wlth these arts, I wish it distinctly understood easily, provided variations in arrangement, in application, and indetails of construcmy invention,

I claim: i i m 1. In a turbine drivenvehiclel a rigid member, a turbine, a driving axle, a geariof tlmgears hrougha flexible connect f ir d. 1 The other geardriv th pneumatic, hydraulic, 'magne-tic, or ;n1e-

tratedsome of the other obvious means of In Figs. 9 andlO the turbine drives through reduction. a ;In Figs. 11 and 12 the turbine, drives through a worm-reduction and a that there are innumerable obvious and tion all ofiwhich fall within the scope of ing system, a vertical,flexible and-extensible driving axle and adapted to suppert said a torsion member, said rigid member being located above and spaced away from said turbine alidtllflfilsll gearing of said gearing system, said gearing housing being located on said driving axle and adaptedto enclose and support the final gearing of said gearing system, said vertical, flexible and extensible connecting member being adapted to connect the gearings of said gearing system, said torsion member being attached to said" gearing housing and provided withwa guide on its outer extremity,

said turbine being adapted to drive said driving axle through said gearing system and said vertical, flexible and extensible connecting member- 2. In a turbine driven vehicle a rigid member, a turbine, a drivingaxle, a speed reduction gearing system, avertical, flexible and extensible connecting member, a speed reduction gearinghousing and a torsion member, said rigid member being located above and spaced away from said driving axle and adapted to support said turbine and the first speed reduction gearing of said speed reductiongearing system, said speed reduction gearing housing being 10 cated on said driving axle and adapted to enclose and support the 'final speed reductiongearingfof said speed reduction gearing systen i, said vertical, flexible and extensible connecting member being adapted to connectthe speed reduction gearings of said speed reduction gearing system, said torsion member being rigidly attached to said speed reduction gearing housmg and provided with a guide on its outer extremity, said turbine being adapted to drive said driving axle through said speed reduction gearing system and said vertical, flexible andextensible connecting member.

3. In a turbine driven vehicle a rigid member, a turbine, a longitudinally extending shaft, a plurality of driving axles, a-

speed reduction gearingfsystem comprising a plurality of right angle speed reduction gearings, a plurality of vertical, flexible and extensible connecting members, a plurality of speed reduction gearing housings, and a plurality of torsion members, said rigid member being located. above and spaced away from said driving axles and adapted tov support said turbine, said longitudinally extending shaft and a, plurality of rightangle speed reduction gearings, each of said speed reduction housings being located on respective said driving axles and ,ada ted to enclose, and support the respective 1al right'angle speed reduction gearings of said speed reduction gearing system, said vertical, flexible and extensible connecting members being adapted to connect the speed reduction gearings on respective driving axles with respective speed reducfion geardinally extending shaft, speed reduction mgs on sand llgld member, each of smd gearmg system and connectmg IDOHlbQl'S.

torsion members bein attached to respec- J T) i pf) tlve sald speed reductlon gearmg housmgs LBATHLJAS and provlded wlth a gulde on 16s outer exvvltnessesz tl'emlty, 52nd curbme bemgadapted to dl'lve BERNARD CORVINUS,

said drivilw axles throu h said lon itu- XVALTER C. PETTEE.

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